AzizalSaqr
2004-04-25 22:45:42 UTC
Here's an article from Newsday.com with Goran...enjoy!
Goran Visnjic
April 25, 2004
The scariest thing about Goran Visnjic is that he's even better-looking in
person. Best known as "ER's" tortured but sexy Dr. Luka Kovac, the 33-year-old
Visnjic is an imposing 6-foot-4, with an ingratiating smile and the kind of
piercing eyes that can melt the hardest of hearts. He's one hunka hunka
Croatian love god.
And now Visnjic is more visible than ever. He recently played the lead in USA
Network's "Spartacus" mini- series, and "Close Your Eyes," the first
English-language film he's starred in, opened Friday. Raised in a small village
on the Adriatic coast, Visnjic lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Ivana, a
sculptor. Freelancer Lewis Beale caught up with him at a midtown hotel on a
miserably rainy day.
You were once chosen as one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people.
What's it like being a heartthrob?
It's something people don't think about themselves. It's what other people
think about you. But it would be stupid to say you're not happy about that. If
you're on a list of the 50 ugliest, you probably wouldn't be happy. The only
problem is that you didn't do anything to become that. It has nothing to do
with you, or your work. It's other people who chose that, and it's basically
your genes; there's no work involved.
Well, you're not necessarily playing heartthrob roles. In "Close Your Eyes,"
you're a
hypnotherapist tracking a serial killer, and Spartacus led a slave revolt
against Rome. Is that
deliberate on your part?
In order to come back to "ER" and play Luka, you have to do something different
every summer. I'm not saying Luka is a heartthrob; if you were in his head, you
would end up in the psych ward. The guy is really complicated and has lots of
problems. The objective is to do something as best as you can do that summer,
but also to do something as different from Luka's character as possible.
Speaking of Luka, how much of him is based on your reality, and how much is
made up?
He's a Croatian; we both share a certain patriotism. And I like to do little
things that will be fun for my friends in Croatia. Like we had a scene in which
we're playing softball, and it was when the Croatian team took third place in
the World Cup, and my friends sent me a team jersey, which I wore in that
scene. But fortunately, during the war I didn't lose any of my family or
anything like that. The dark Luka side, it's something they created. Let's say
I'm the cheerful Luka side.
Yet, you did fight briefly in the Croatian army during the recent Balkans war.
What was that like?
The problem about that is, it was a confusing time; it's really complicated,
and every time I tried to explain, I'd read an interview and say, "I didn't say
this." So I just say, "Forget about it, I don't want to talk about it."
OK, then let me ask you this: Do you think there will ever be real peace in the
former Yugoslavia?
You know, in medieval times, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia were always separated,
and they were the best of friends. The worst thing that happened was when they
put all these countries together and they tried to suppress even positive
nationalism. War never happened between those countries when they were
separated countries. Never, ever. So when the countries are finally separated
again, I think there will be no problems, until some idiot in 100 years comes
by and says, "Let's put all these countries together," and someone will
hopefully say, "Please don't do that, it's been proven that that doesn't work."
What about your celebrity? You were already well-known in Croatia as a theater
actor, especially for your performances as Hamlet at the Dubrovnik Summer
Festival. But how have people related to you since you've been on "ER?"
Before I came on the show, "ER" was the No. 1 foreign TV show in my country. So
when I called my mom and told her I was going to be on "ER," she knew what I
was talking about. I spent so much time in Dubrovnik the locals know me, and
when I'm there, it's a normal thing. I built my career there. When I'm in my
hometown, it's the same story - "That's Goran." When I'm in Zagreb, it's a
little different; it's the capital, there's more attention, but I have so many
friends there it doesn't make that much difference.
What do you like to do when you're not working?
I love to drive. That's my passion. I do off-roading, certain kinds of races,
but I love to drive in general. My wife and I love to go together in a car.
We've been all over California, Arizona, Texas; we drive to Colorado every year
to go skiing. She has her DVD, we can talk, she can sleep, we have our dogs in
the car. The Grand Canyon is one of my favorite attractions in the States, and
we've been there, like, seven times. That's the U.S. for me. Not Los Angeles,
not New York.
So I was also wondering, as a TV actor, what's your favorite show other than
"ER?"
"Stargate." I love that show, I love the film. I have six seasons of it in my
house, and I'm Tivo-ing every episode.
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.
Goran Visnjic
April 25, 2004
The scariest thing about Goran Visnjic is that he's even better-looking in
person. Best known as "ER's" tortured but sexy Dr. Luka Kovac, the 33-year-old
Visnjic is an imposing 6-foot-4, with an ingratiating smile and the kind of
piercing eyes that can melt the hardest of hearts. He's one hunka hunka
Croatian love god.
And now Visnjic is more visible than ever. He recently played the lead in USA
Network's "Spartacus" mini- series, and "Close Your Eyes," the first
English-language film he's starred in, opened Friday. Raised in a small village
on the Adriatic coast, Visnjic lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Ivana, a
sculptor. Freelancer Lewis Beale caught up with him at a midtown hotel on a
miserably rainy day.
You were once chosen as one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people.
What's it like being a heartthrob?
It's something people don't think about themselves. It's what other people
think about you. But it would be stupid to say you're not happy about that. If
you're on a list of the 50 ugliest, you probably wouldn't be happy. The only
problem is that you didn't do anything to become that. It has nothing to do
with you, or your work. It's other people who chose that, and it's basically
your genes; there's no work involved.
Well, you're not necessarily playing heartthrob roles. In "Close Your Eyes,"
you're a
hypnotherapist tracking a serial killer, and Spartacus led a slave revolt
against Rome. Is that
deliberate on your part?
In order to come back to "ER" and play Luka, you have to do something different
every summer. I'm not saying Luka is a heartthrob; if you were in his head, you
would end up in the psych ward. The guy is really complicated and has lots of
problems. The objective is to do something as best as you can do that summer,
but also to do something as different from Luka's character as possible.
Speaking of Luka, how much of him is based on your reality, and how much is
made up?
He's a Croatian; we both share a certain patriotism. And I like to do little
things that will be fun for my friends in Croatia. Like we had a scene in which
we're playing softball, and it was when the Croatian team took third place in
the World Cup, and my friends sent me a team jersey, which I wore in that
scene. But fortunately, during the war I didn't lose any of my family or
anything like that. The dark Luka side, it's something they created. Let's say
I'm the cheerful Luka side.
Yet, you did fight briefly in the Croatian army during the recent Balkans war.
What was that like?
The problem about that is, it was a confusing time; it's really complicated,
and every time I tried to explain, I'd read an interview and say, "I didn't say
this." So I just say, "Forget about it, I don't want to talk about it."
OK, then let me ask you this: Do you think there will ever be real peace in the
former Yugoslavia?
You know, in medieval times, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia were always separated,
and they were the best of friends. The worst thing that happened was when they
put all these countries together and they tried to suppress even positive
nationalism. War never happened between those countries when they were
separated countries. Never, ever. So when the countries are finally separated
again, I think there will be no problems, until some idiot in 100 years comes
by and says, "Let's put all these countries together," and someone will
hopefully say, "Please don't do that, it's been proven that that doesn't work."
What about your celebrity? You were already well-known in Croatia as a theater
actor, especially for your performances as Hamlet at the Dubrovnik Summer
Festival. But how have people related to you since you've been on "ER?"
Before I came on the show, "ER" was the No. 1 foreign TV show in my country. So
when I called my mom and told her I was going to be on "ER," she knew what I
was talking about. I spent so much time in Dubrovnik the locals know me, and
when I'm there, it's a normal thing. I built my career there. When I'm in my
hometown, it's the same story - "That's Goran." When I'm in Zagreb, it's a
little different; it's the capital, there's more attention, but I have so many
friends there it doesn't make that much difference.
What do you like to do when you're not working?
I love to drive. That's my passion. I do off-roading, certain kinds of races,
but I love to drive in general. My wife and I love to go together in a car.
We've been all over California, Arizona, Texas; we drive to Colorado every year
to go skiing. She has her DVD, we can talk, she can sleep, we have our dogs in
the car. The Grand Canyon is one of my favorite attractions in the States, and
we've been there, like, seven times. That's the U.S. for me. Not Los Angeles,
not New York.
So I was also wondering, as a TV actor, what's your favorite show other than
"ER?"
"Stargate." I love that show, I love the film. I have six seasons of it in my
house, and I'm Tivo-ing every episode.
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.